There's Always Room for Dessert
by Zara Allegra Vespertine
Summary: They say good food equals good conversation equals good entertainment. What goes on inside Gakuen Saotome's everyday school life for Haruka and Tomochika? Oh, the humor, the accidents, the assumptions and the miscalculations. Want to know what makes life sweet for the two girls? It's all about the dessert.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi guys. It's me again. This is a new series for Uta No Prince Sama. But it's mostly composed of a series of one-shots that I created. It's mostly centered on happenings at the Dining hall of Gakuen Saotome or conversations between Haruka and Tomo-chan. Hence the reference to flavors and foods and scents (coz I love to eat!)**

**I hope you enjoy these light one shots. I have so much fun writing them. Some of you may get confuse with it, but these are just snips of everyday life inside Gakuen Saotome.**

**Cherry Red Lipstick**

"There she is"

Tomochika Shibuya glanced up and saw her friend, Haruka Nanami, wandering aimless at the entrance of the Gakuen Saotome's huge dining hall.

The place was unbelievably packed for a late brunch. Most students are still hanging about, finishing their home works before making social plans for Saturday night.

"Looking stunning, as usual," their classmate, Otoya Ittoki said dreamily, the melon bread he was holding, now forgotten.

"Yeah, I wonder what flavor of lipstick she is wearing" Natsuki Shinomiya sighed.

Tomochika raised her eyebrows at them smirking.

"What?" Syo Kurusu glared at her pointedly, "We always wondered whether she's wearing the same lipcolor everyday. Every time she approach either one of us, we all just stare at her mouth and become distracted with it."

She rolled her eyes at them. _Boys. _"She wears a different one everyday. But it depends on what mood she is in."

"Is there any way to know which one without asking?" Otoya asked, tearing off a piece of his bread and popping it inside his mouth.

She shrugged, and then brightened suddenly, as if a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Allow me."

Pushing back her chair, she stood up and sauntered over to where her friend was standing, in front of the food counter, apparently undecided which one she can order. She looked up, saw her roommate, smiled and gave a greeting.

"Darn it, she'd better not mention we were curious," Syo muttered under his breath, but still staring back at the two girls with unblinking eyes. "I would trade my prized fedora hat just to know these kinds of things. It shows how closely intimate you are with Haruka." Out of the corner of his eyes, Natsuki nodded his agreement.

They continued to watch as the two girls exchange a few words with each other. Haruka was nodding to whatever her friend was saying. Then to their complete surprise, Tomo-chan cupped Haruka's face and planted a slow, moist kiss that made Natsuki splutter the contents of his milk, Otoya gasp for air, his melon bread stucked on his throat, and Syo dropping his fork on the floor with a loud clatter.

When she finally pulled away from Haruka, she waved her goodbye at her friend, who seemed not to mind that almost half of the cafeteria was picking up their jaws on the floor, eyes wide with envy at the spectacle. Haruka, meanwhile, just turned back to give her orders to the smiling lady, holding her tray out.

Tomo-chan was still licking her lips like a satisfied tigress when she came back to her table, picked up her fork and looked up at the three boys she was sitting with.

They continued to gape at her silently.

"It's cherry red lipstick for today." She said, as answer to their earlier question, before taking a bite out of the sausage she just stabbed with her fork, and went back to her reading.

**oOoOoOoOo**

**A/N: By the way, I wrote these oneshots down as a form of distraction while I flex out the story for my current ongoing series: Underage Love. I wanted to write a few ones every now and then. **

**I like to tease our boys once in a while. It's pretty refreshing to imagine their reactions.**

**If you want to post suggestions, scenarios, food titles involving Haruka and the gang, feel free to drop by a review and I will see what I can do. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: You know, I was watching the series for the **_**nth **_**time when it suddenly struck me that I've been writing Masato's last name wrong! It should be Hijirikawa not Hirijikawa. Darn it! So for this one shot, I will use Masato's correct spelling of last name. As for Underage Love, I'm too lazy to change them, so I will stick to the wrong spelling. **

**Here's the second one shot.**

**Strawberries and Cream**

Masato Hijirikawa glanced at his titanium Patek Philippe watch and saw that he is at least fifteen minutes early for class. Running a hand through his short, strait hair, he sauntered casually towards the library, the book he borrowed tucked securely underneath one arm.

He was about to open the door when he stopped a few feet away from it. As soon as he paused, the door opened from the other side and Haruka Nanami emerged, looking fresh and sweet in her crisp uniform. Sunlight pouring from the high windows of the hallway made her hair gleamed as she whipped her head and found herself gazing back at him, golden eyes wide with surprise.

"Good morning, Nanami-chan" he greeted politely, his lips pulling into a soft smile.

"Same to you, Hijirikawa-kun. I'll see you in class later." She smiled back before turning her attention away from him. She continued to walk away, while adjusting the strap of her book bag.

He took a deep breath as he placed his hand on the brass doorknob.

_She left a trail of strawberries and cream. _He thought to himself, turning slightly to catch a glimpse of her making a right turn at the end of the hallway, his body hardening slightly.

It made him think of strawberry tarts and strawberry jam and syrup, rich dollops of whipped cream, lipgloss and a bar of soap.

He stood momentarily transfixed, before he shook his head and entered the library. He quickly headed straight to the librarian's desk where he deposited the book he borrowed, surrendered his library card and waited.

And just beside him, he found Ren Jinguuji holding a bunch of books on his free hand, his long honey-blonde hair, tied in a loose ponytail, handsome face and strong jaw exposed for everyone to see. He was waiting for another assistant to help him check out the books, apparently. He felt a flicker of annoyance at seeing his roommate that he often avoids.

"Fancy seeing you so early in the morning, Jinguuji" he said stiffly, by his way of greeting. "I am not aware that you go to libraries."

"I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to drop by and borrow a few things." He drawled in reply.

Masato glanced down at the three books now resting on top of the counter: _Pure Strawberry: Irresistible Recipes, Strawberry: The Cultural History of the World's Favorite Berry and The Cream Lover's Handbook_. He smirked. Jinguuji borrowing such types of books? What, did the library run out of their copies of _The Player's handbook of Pick-up and Seduction, or The Game?_

Ren give him pitying look. "You'll see."

"Here you go. All done" the assistant gave back Ren his seldom-used library card and walked over at the end of the counter to assist another student.

"I hope you won't start decorating our room with strawberry candles." He muttered as Ren started to leave the counter. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the hard wood, his good mood ruined.

He suddenly ceased his tapping when heard Ren whisper against his ear, his signature baritone voice drowning out the sound of fans buzzing lazily above him. "Don't tell me you didn't encounter Haruka Nanami on you way to the library? Don't you just love the way she smells?" Masato turned in time to see Ren hold his books up casually, whistling as he walked arrogantly away before disappearing behind the entrance doors.

He stayed rooted on the spot, a thought forming inside his head. _You don't say…_He bolted straight to the reference section and began browsing the books stacked neatly on the shelves. Pulling out a couple of the hardbounds, he quickly checked them out and left the library in a hurry.

**oOoOoOo**

"Tomo-chan, I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Tomochika Shibuya was in the middle of applying a red coat of nailpolish on her toenails, when her friend, Haruka Nanami barged in, after finishing her cleaning duties.

"I broke your bottle of favorite strawberry perfume and half of its contents splashed all over my uniform. I had no time to change." Haruka removed her coat and tossed it on her bed, before kicking off her shoes. Lugging her bookbag with her, she sat down on her own bed opposite her friend and began rummaging inside.

Tomo-chan raised her eyebrows in amusement. "No wonder the toilet smelled like my perfume all over!" She was not able to attend class today because she just came back from visiting her parents.

"I'm really sorry! Here", Haruka handed her a small square package bearing the box of her perfume. "I got a replacement. The boys from our class kept on throwing puzzled looks at me all day. I think they were annoyed because of the smell I was emitting. Jinguuji-san kept on asking whether I like strawberry shortcake. And Hijirikawa-kun even handed me a box of strawberry flavoured lollipops."

"Indeed?" she raised one eyebrow curiously. _Hmmmm.._

"Oh, and I tried to get the books you asked me to borrow, but it's so strange that all the strawberry dessert cookbooks we have in the library are all listed as borrowed."

"That's too bad," Tomochika was suddenly smiling mischievously, "I won't be able to bake my mom's strawberry shortcake for her birthday this Saturday."

"Yeah," Haruka nodded distractedly, "you could ask Jinguuji-san where he will be buying his strawberry shortcake. You can ask him to buy one for you." She pulled the clips from her hair and tossed them to her desk.

"Don't you like strawberry shortcakes?" she asked, turning back to painting her toenails, giggles threatening to bubble up from inside her. Her friend can be so dense sometimes.

"No.." she answered slowly, unbuttoning her blouse and pulling down the zipper of her skirt until she was only standing at the center of their room in her lavender-colored panties and bra. "I'd prefer vanilla cupcakes with lavender cream." And with that, she picked her soiled clothes and tossed them on the laundry basket before heading straight to the shower room they shared. "I'd better take a shower. I missed slathering on that lavender lotion I bought yesterday."

As soon as she closed the door, she burst out laughing. She'd bet her whole collection of Hello Kitty pins that they would be having strawberry for dessert tomorrow at the dining hall, courtesy of her friend's hoard of secret admirers.

**oOoOoOo**

**A/N: I suddenly got this craving for vanilla cupcake, but all I had on the fridge are strawberries.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: What a week. You guys bombarded my email inbox with a spate of alerts about reviews and favorite-ing my entries. Wow. Thanks very much! I hope you guys enjoy the latest series and continue to watch them over and over again even after they finish the second season. **

**Lunch and Lemon Meringue Pie**

"Great lunch timing" Syo Kurusu dropped his fedora hat on an empty seat opposite his roommate, Natsuki Shinomiya, before sitting down and began to tear off the plastic packaging off the milk bread he bought for lunch.

Beside Natsuki, Masato Hijirikawa was busy sipping his green tea quietly. He had just finished his lunch of soba noodles and was enjoying his favorite hot beverage.

"You should try their pork cutlet today. " Natsuki said, stirring the sugar he had just poured on his already too sweet hot chocolate with small marshmallow bits floating with the foam. Syo gave a slight shudder, noting the amount of sugar on the beverage of his roommate.

"I ordered the pasta", he answered instead, focusing on his own plate of food, twirling the spaghetti noodles around his silver fork and spooning some into his mouth, tomato sauce dripping on his chin.

"Anybody has a Composition book I can borrow?" Tokiya Ichinose slid his tray of food beside Syo. "I forgot to get mine." His tray contained steamed vegetables, a beef brisket rice bowl, a slice of watermelon and oolong tea. They all know how Tokiya likes his ooling tea every lunch breack.

"Here!" Tomochika Shibuya, who was already finishing her own food, tossed the small book into Tokiya's direction. "You can use mine." The book was covered with a light blue cover, its pages filled with sticky on notes and cursive writing.

Tokiya caught the book easily. "Thanks." He tucked the book inside his bag and began to eat.

For a few minutes, silence reigned on their table as each concentrated on finishing their meal.

"Thank goodness you found a big table." Haruka Nanami broke the group's concentration on their food as she sat on Syo's left side, opposite her roommate, Tomo-chan. Her tray contained a carton of milk, a bowl of salad and a large plate of lemon meringue pie, whipped cream glistening on top.

"That's rabbit food!" Syo said, peering at Haruka's lunch, shaking his head in disbelief and amusement.

"That's alright, my main course is the lemon meringue pie." She smiled happily, stabbing a few salad greens with her fork.

They each began to discuss their homeworks for the weekend, while Natsuki announced his plans to go out on Saturday to catch _Piyo-chan Live!_ at the local amusement park. Masato murmured he is going home for his family's monthly formal gathering, while Syo enthusiastically began telling everyone who would listen that he might watch Hyuuga-sensei's latest fantasy movie.

Tomo-chan observed each guy sitting on the table. She could barely suppress a giggle. They all kept on stealing glances at her friend who was oblivious to them all, enjoying her salad and nibbling on the pie crust daintily. Except for Jinguuji-san who has a dentist appointment and Ittoki-kun who was called to help Tsukimiya-sensei on planning for the annual music festival, the whole lot of them are sitting together at the table. No wonder more than a few girls are eyeing their place with curious looks and wistful longing.

Lunch break was almost over when she finally glanced up at the large industrial-looking clock hanging on top of the cafeteria doors. She turned to face her roommate when she noticed some whipped cream smeared on her cheek. She shook her head and rummaged inside her bag for some handy wipes.

"Haru-chan" she called out to her friend.

"Yes?" she looked up at her, while in the process of licking the pie filling left on her fork, the tip of her tongue sticking out like a cat.

"Hold still." Tomo-chan cautioned her friend, as she stood up and leaned on the table with her left hand; while the other held her chin steady as she licked the cream off her friend's cheek.

The sweet cream melted in her tongue. She could tell how soft her friend's skin is as she licked the remnants of the concoction from her cheek. As soon as she finished, she promptly wiped Haruka's cheek with the handy wipes, before she sat back down. She took another piece of tissue from her bag and wiped her mouth clean, before applying some lipgloss on her lips.

For a full minute, no one spoke, each of the guys too dumbstruck with what had just transpired before them.

"Erm." Syo tried to clear his throat, but failed to say something to break the silence.

Tomo-chan raised her eyebrows at the boys surrounding them: Masato spilled green tea on his impeccable white uniform which he keeps religiously clean, but his eyes were trained in on them, a look of shock and (dare she say?) longing written all over his face; Natsuki still has chocolate foam mustache on top of his lip, while Syo sported a glazed look, both of them had their mouths hanging open, saliva threatening to spill from their mouths; Tokiya, who rarely ever displays emotion, were staring at them, eyes wide, holding one chopstick with his right hand.

Tomo-chan could barely suppress her giggles threatening to erupt out of her. Instead, she composed herself and gave a quirky grin. "Come on, we're going to be late for the next class." _Boys, _she thought to herself. It was common for her to be close and motherly to her roommate as she is too often absentminded when it comes to taking care of herself. Her friend can spend hours just thinking about her compositions and little else.

She stood up and grabbed hold of Haruka's hand, who was still oblivious on their effect to their audience. "Come on, kitten. Or else, no more lemon meringue pies for midnight snack later if you are late." She deliberately let Haruka brushed passed Syo and Tokiya, wanting to shake her head in amusement as she looked back and she saw Syo turning beet red and Tokiya, blushing like an apple. The crowded cafeteria afforded little space to walk between the tables and chairs. No doubt, the two boys felt all the soft feminine curves of her roommate as she rushed past them in a hurry to follow her.

Too bad Masato was sitting on the opposite side; she would have liked to see a blush on his normally expressionless face. She has no problem with teasing Natsuki. Aside from all the boys who harbor secret desires on her roommate, he was probably the most honest guy in the group. He has no trouble expressing his emotions around Haruka.

"Bye guys!" she waved at them as she hurried out of the cafeteria, pulling Haruka in tow with her. _That should keep them occupied until the end of the week, _she laughed inwardly.

**oOoOoOo**

**A/N: Erm.. This is just a short entry for this series. Something for me to write about and spend the afternoon with while trying to reshape my other chapters for you guys. Just a naughty excuse to tease our boys more. LOL **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: More excuse to tease the guys. Btw have you seen the Episodes 2 & 3? It was kind of weird that Cecil just suddenly appeared in human form like that. They didn't really explained how he became a cat and all that. What do you guys think of the last three episodes? **

**Afternoon Naps, Tea and Scones**

_Ugh, _Tomochika Shibuya gave groan as she tossed her textbook at her feet. Tsukimiya-sensei has promised to give them a monster exam on Monday, when he found out his favorite African Grey bird was accidentally released from its cage and flew away. Wanting to flush out the student responsible, for once, Tsikimiya-sensei looked formidable in his usual pink and girly costume, dropping the exam bomb on each of his unsuspecting class yesterday.

Beside her, Haruka lying on her stomach, happily composing on her favorite battered notebook, headphones jamb on her ear, listening to Tchaikovsky and Bach in her brand-new Ipod touch (a gift from Ren Jinguuji after he accidentally spilled coke on her own Ipod classic during one of their lunch breaks, but that is another story), and humming softly to the music.

It was such a lovely Friday afternoon. Classes were let out early, as there was a schedule teacher conference after lunch, which was a major thing. And students took advantage of the rare free afternoon by going out of the campus early to meet friends or prepare for the exams. Tomochika usually goes out on Friday after school to shop and have tea and cakes at her favorite café, but having exhausted the clothes supply of all the boutiques surrounding the neighborhood, she decided to be a good girl for today and start browsing through her notes.

She was beginning to regret her decision.

It was a good thing that her roommate, Haruka decided to join her, lugging her bag full of books borrowed from the library, her ipod and a folded blanket. Choosing a spot near the lake, underneath the flowering fire trees, they spread their things between them and was soon pre-occupied with each of their work.

Once or twice, she caught Haruka yawn, and she felt sympathetic with her friend. Haruka has been staying up late these past few days, after she was struck with sudden inspiration and began composing music relentlessly late into the night.

"Why don't you go and take a short nap first Haru-chan?" Tomochika said, when she caught her friend yawning again, her fifth since the last half hour.

"I don't know." Her friend murmured absentmindedly, hands still scribbling furiously on the paper, "I might miss this line here.." her voice trailed off.

Tomochika shrugged and left her friend alone. She opened another of the books stacked beside her and began reading about renaissance music. For a few minutes, she was engrossed with a particular paragraph when she felt a movement near her. She lifted the book she was holding to peer at her roommate, who took out her jacket and laid it across her lap before resting her head against her jacket-covered thigh. As soon as her eyes closed, she immediately went to sleep.

Tomo-chan sighed, reached out a hand to stroke her friend's silky hair spread across her lap, and went back to concentrate on her book. Typical of her. Sometimes, she's like a cherished cat who loves to take naps on other people's laps.

And for a few minutes, everything seemed blissful with the leaves shielding them from the glaring sunshine, the soft blowing breeze and the sweet smells of grass and flowers surrounding their spot.

There was a soft rustle behind her and Tomo-chan looked up in time to see Tokiya Ichinose and Otoya Ittoki peering down at them.

They were both wearing t-shirts and sweat pants, with towels slung over their shoulders. She guessed they have been working out in the school gym.

"Hi." She greeted softly.

"Hi Tomo-chan." Otoya smiled at her, crouching down at the edge of the blanket before Tokiya followed suit. "Great day, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Has she been sleeping for quite a while?" Tokiya asked, gently pulling a stray of grass clinging at the edge of Haruka's sleeve.

"Uh-huh. She's been working like a devil these last few nights." She patted Haruka's shoulders not even stirring at her touch.

"You must be getting uncomfortable." Tokiya nodded at her lap where Haruka is resting her head.

She smiled wistfully. "A little." Her movements are unfortunately restricted since she could not wriggle her limbs without waking her friend up.

"I bet you're hungry. This weather seems perfect for some tea and scones." Otoya grinned.

At the mention of food, Tomo-chan's stomach gave a soft grumble. How long was it since lunch break? And she laughed softly in reply, slightly embarrassed since they were being very nice to her despite teasing the boys often whenever an opportunity presents itself.

"We'll get you some tea and scones from the cafeteria.." Tokiya offered, standing up and motioning at Otoya to follow him. "We'll be right back."

"That would be great." She replied gratefully.

She stared at the sparkling lake before her, loving the feeling at the moment. She felt really happy, the happiest this week. She glanced down at her sleeping friend; appreciative that Haruka always seemed to turn to her whenever she needs something. Appreciative that the boys are being helpful and being such a good sport, despite the fact that she always subject them to all sorts of embarrassing situations with her friend.

She was struck with a sudden inspiration. Maybe she could shop around today and buy something nice for the boys for once and have Haruka deliver it to them as a token of thanks?

Smiling mischievously, she tried to wriggle her way out of Haruka's clutches as gently as she could.

A few minutes later, Otoya and Tokiya, arms laden with containers of scones, jam and clotted cream plus a jug of hot earl grey found themselves with a missing Tomochika Shibuya and a sleeping Haruka.

Tired from all the walking around the campus and exercising, they settled themselves on the blanket, arranged the food carefully so as not to disturbed the sleeping girl and started drinking the tea. Their trip to the cafeteria made them thirsty too. For a few minutes, the two boys look blissful and content, sipping tea and watching their muse continue dreaming. It was, by far the best day of the week for them just to gaze on the sleeping face of one girl who is always in their minds.

It was not until Otoya noticed a message left for them by Tomochika did they realized the rare opportunity she left them with. And for that they were grateful for her thoughtfulness.

Posted on one of the books was a small note written with a pink cursive writing.

_Hi guys,_

_I just remembered that I need to go out and buy something. Why don't you take a rest, have your tea and scones and enjoy watching the sleeping princess and wait for me until I get back in a couple of hours?_

_Remember not to wake Haruka._

_Enjoy the day,_

_Tomo-chan_

**oOoOoOo**

**A/N: I was a bit happy on Episode 3. I am not much a fan of Syo Kurusu, but I am glad that he gets more airtime. I do hope all of the guys get more airtime per episode. Including the seniors. My, my, my. A roomful of hot guys. And Camus is very hot. I better take that shower now. :p **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Someone ordered a Syo-centric one shot? :P I'm not particularly fond of Syo, but I like how the boys teased him a lot because he is such a spitfire. I know I said most of my one-shots here are centered in the cafeteria, but I decided to expand the scenes more to include other…ahem..locations. For diversity, really. **

**I do not know whatever possessed me to write a one shot like this. The ending looks, er, bland. I could have improved it more, but then, I have no idea how. So it got stuck. I revised a few parts here and there in the last couple of days. Sigh, another of my pathetic attempts at writing humor and comedy scenes. But if you get to the last part, there seems to be some sort of Yaoi-thing going on, it got me scratching my head. So I finally decided to post it anyway, even if it looks unfinished. **

**Lavender-Vanilla Cake**

Syu Kuruso jiggled the keys to his dormitory room and flung the door open. His hand automatically went to his funky necktie, loosening the knot, before he breathed more deeply. He kicked the door shut behind him, happy to be home at last.

_Ahhh, weekend._

He has been looking forward to a quiet evening ahead, ever since the box of DVDs he had ordered in Amazon had arrived last week. He intends to spend the time on his bed the whole day tomorrow, munching on his favorite foods while watching.

He yawned, noticed the lack of noise in his room; his eyes roaming around for his roommate, Natsuki Shinomiya. He was half-expecting him to spring a monster hug from behind the door, like he usually does.

_Where is he?_

His gaze fell on his roommate's empty bed, the blue bedsheets smooth, the blankets neatly folded, and the pillows, untouched. His collection of Piyo-chan fluffy toys, piled in one corner.

Syo raised his eyebrows, wondering where his roommate is. He couldn't be out of the campus today. Their principal, Shining Saotome banned the students from going out for one week and imposing an early curfew after he caught a group of seniors sneaking out of the school to watch a concert on a school-day night. The curfew will not be lifted until Wednesday next week. He hoped his roommate is not up to his usual mischief, he's too tired to babysit him today.

Shrugging, he tossed the tie he took off from his neck, over to his laundry basket placed at the foot of his bed, followed by his socks and his handkerchief. His fedora hat lay forgotten on the floor beside his desk.

He thought about taking a quick shower first before he go out to look for his errant roommate when his handphone beeped loudly.

He quickly pulled out the small compact phone he was carrying inside the pocket of his jeans; saw the caller's name and number before pressing a button to answer it. What does the Playboy Prince want from him? And when did he manage to get his number?

"Where the hell are you?" Ren Jinguuji practically yelled into the mouthpiece.

Syo winced, pulled the phone slightly away from his ear, an annoyed expression on his face. "Excuse me?", he asked scathingly.

"Get over to the kitchen now!" Ren was already shouting at the phone.

He raised his eyebrows. What the hell is wrong with this guy? He hated Ren Jinguuji for being such an arrogant bastard, who liked touching Haruka with his flirty hands. Who does he think he is, bossing him around like this?

"And why do I need to follow what you said?" he finally answered coolly, grabbing a green, fluffy cotton towel hanging in front of him and tossing it over his shoulders. The shower is waiting for him.

He almost dropped the phone when the man at the other end of the line let out a colorful string of words that would surely make any person blush, before his ears perked up with some choice key words that called his attention.

_Natsuki. Baking. Cake. Haruka. Poison._

Say what?

It took him a full minute before stuffed the phone back into his jeans, dropped the towel he was holding and ran out of the room, with barely enough time to jam his foot inside the nearest pair of shoes he could grab.

"What the devil?!" Syo was panting and wheezing with all his might, his hands resting on his knees as he leaned forward to catch his breath and his pulse.

He was standing a few feet away from the Home Economics department's culinary section, where restaurant-sized kitchens where constructed for the students, who want to focus more on their home-making skills as part of their talent repertoire.

Just beside the closed stainless steel doors, Ren Jinguuji, Masato Hijirikawa and Otoya Ittoki were standing, holding their cellphones, worried expressions on their faces. Otoya was even holding a rope on one hand.

"What's the meaning of this?" he wheezed out, wiping the sweat dripping of his face. _For the love of God._

"Like I told you," Ren Jinguuji said sarcastically, gesturing at the fixed glass panel at the center of the stainless steel doors. "Your roommate has volunteered to bake Haruka Nanami a cake, when he heard her say she was craving for some vanilla and lavender chiffon dessert."

Syo froze. _Oh no, no, no. Please don't be so cruel. _Why, oh, why, does he have to bail out his troublesome roommate today of all days? He was looking forward to that relaxing hot shower.

"You'd better get in there and stop him before he poisons Haruka with his latest creation." Masato said coldly. He brushed the hair off his forehead, and dusting off the specks of flour on his sweater.

Otoya nodded, "Sorry Syo. We tried to stop him, but he was too..err forceful." He gave him a sympathetic look.

He nodded. Natsuki, for all his gentleness and good-naturedness, could sometimes be surprisingly strong and persistent when his mind is determined to accomplish a goal. How many times he tried to stop his friend from giving out his weird baking experiments to random people at their dormitory building? His friend is _waaay_ too bad when it came to his baking skills, though he had to admire his tenacity in trying to improve on his hobby. Natsuki actually has the makings of being a great chef and baker. If _only_ he follows what is written on the recipe book. But he tends to divert too much, always trying to add other flavors and ingredients to make his experiments "taste better". Though based from experience, his attempts at being flamboyant in his baking style tend to produce disastrous results.

He only need to recall one incident when his family held a reunion a few years back and invited several of their close family friends to attend, Syo and his family included. Natsuki pleaded with his mother and grandmother to let him bake some brownies for snacks. They relented. And it resulted to sending their relatives to a one-way trip into the hospital.

"Well?" Ren interrupted his reverie. "Haruka's life is at stake here!" he snapped his fingers in front of him.

"We'll back you up, Syo." Otoya gripped the rope on his hands. They intend to tie him up with the rope and take the cake away to ground zero before Haruka winds up with it and, _God forbid, _eats it. Their muse has a sweet tooth and she doesn't know how to say _no _when it comes to someone offering dessert to her.

Syo steeled himself and took a deep breath, he nodded at Ren and Masato, who both nodded back and stood behind him as he reached out for the handle of the door. He could just see his friend, putting the finishing touches on the cake; his back turned to face him. he could partially see the final product of his efforts, the cake looked delicious with its cream frosting and piles of berries on top. It had the name POISON written all over it. Natsuki is notorious for making deadly pastries that looked good enough to eat.

_Forgive me, Natsu. _He begged silently. He began to twist the handle.

Locked. _Damn._

"We're gonna have to force it open." Syo called over his shoulder. He did not wait for their consent, but grasped the handle instead, prepared to give it his all. Out of the corner of his eye, Otoya took the other handle, ready to follow suit. Behind him Masato held part of the door handle, his free hand holding the rope.

"On the count of three then." Ren said, taking his position beside Syo. He nodded. There's no time to be picky about who he prefers to assist him. All that matters is that cake never reaches Haruka's luscious lips.

"One, two.. Three!"

They pushed the handles with all their might, trying to make it yield. For a few seconds, they struggled, grunted, huffed and puffed with all they've got.

"Dammit!" Syo cursed, giving the doors a good kick. He winced, feeling the pain on his toes through the soft leather loafers encasing his foot.

"I'd say we should just pull until the locks give way." Otoya said, grasping the handle again and tugging.

Syo shrugged. _Anything is better than nothing. _He took the handle again, nodded at Ren, who nodded back his answer.

They pulled at both of the handles.

Syo grunted, using all of his remaining strength. He felt the metal handle move.

"Keep pulling!" he said, ecstatic. "It's starting to give way!" he could hear Otoya give a whoop and began to double his effort. Masato, his hair falling all over his face, scrunched up his face to give his best shot.

On the other hand, Ren's ponytail elastic snapped, hair flowing down over his shoulders, a sheen of sweat on his forehead.

A shadow loomed in front of them. Syo barely had time to register what is happening as he felt the handle loosen. _Yes, yes, yes!_

"Arrgh!"

The doors opened with a loud bang. He was thrown down the floor, when his hands slipped from grasping the handles, slippery with their sweat. Behind him, Ren landed in a painful _thud, _and he gasped. Both Otoya and Masato were thrown off too, and they lay sprawled next to him in a tangled heap of arms and legs.

"Ohh! Syo-kun!" Natsuki, eyeglasses glinting mischievously, face smeared with flour, grinned down at them, as if finding them on the floor was just an everyday occurrence to him. His pink, flowery apron was stained with splattering of cake batter, frosting and berry juice.

"N-natsuki!" Syo spluttered.

"We should share this cake with Haruka." He said happily, before turning and leaving them on the floor. "I'll meet you guys there." He called out to them in a singsong voice, leaving them scrambling to their feet.

"Damn!" Ren said, struggling to disentangle himself from him. "We'd better get him."

"Move!" Syo said, standing up as fast as he could. "Natsuki is quick as a lightning when he's excited about his creation."

"I don't want to take Haruka in a hospital." Otoya said in a worried voice.

With no time to dust themselves off, or even check for bruises and cuts, they sprinted down the empty hallway, encountering a few students who went out of the classrooms to check what the commotion is about.

True to his description, by the time they turned to the left at the end of the hallway, Natsuki was gone.

"What's the shortest route to Haruka's dormitory?" Masato yelled, leading the way.

"Allow me," Ren pushed him to one side. He darted into one of the side exits, and Syo followed. Out of the entire group, only Ren could rival him in stamina and agility. He often bumped into him inside the campus gym when he does his regular work-outs.

The low, five-story building came into view. It's white paint and red roof tiles gleamed against the late afternoon sun. As they skidded to a stop in the main lounge, the dormitory head was glaring at them from the window of her office, shaking a finger for all the noise they were generating from their adoring admirers.

The group darted past the students, wearing their Friday casuals, chatting with their friends in their favorite corners. Taking two steps at a time, going up the stairs took them mere seconds, heading to the west side of the second floor where Syo spied Tomochika Shibuya, emerging from Haruka's room.

"Boys!" Tomo-chan exclaimed. "What took you so long? Natsuki said you are coming over and-"

"Tomo-chan! Don't-" Otoya said, pulling the girl away from the door.

"Let her eat…" Masato continued while panting from the running he wasn't used to.

"The damned cake!" Ren yelled, pushing the door wide open.

Inside, Natsuki was hovering near Haruka, as they sat cross-legged on the carpet-covered floor. He had just finished putting a slice of cake on her plate, a look of pride painting his face.

Haruka, meanwhile, unaware of the ruckus just outside her room, was on the point of shoving a forkful of the delectably looking dessert, her mouth opened daintily.

"No!" Syo yelled in horror, plastering his hands on his face in anguish.

_And the cake disappeared inside Haruka's mouth._

**oOoOoOo**

Silence reigned in the room.

Syo lost the strength on his legs, and he slid into the floor. Behind him, he could hear a scuffle; he glanced back, saw Otoya slumped too, holding a shocked Tomo-chan, unable to process what is going on.

Masato leaned heavily against the door, pulling out his own phone. "Better get that damned ambulance." He muttered darkly to Ren, who nodded, his mouth dropped open.

There was a whoop of girlish delight. And they all turned towards the source.

"Delicious!" Haruka squealed happily. She gave a huge smile at Natsuki, who breathed a sigh of relief, before he noticed the rest of them at the entrance of Haruka's room."Hey guys! Nice timing! Come on in!" he gestured at the set of plates, already filled with slices of cake, waiting for them with steaming cups of tea.

"B-but." Syo spluttered in disbelief. _The cake tasted good?_

"Apocalypse must be on to us." Masato said wearily, on the verge of dialing an emergency call number.

"The cake Natsuki made is one of the best I've ever tasted!" Haruka jumped up and approached them. She sliced a piece of the cake and held out her fork at Syo.

Enthralled, by her sweet gesture, he could only open his mouth, as all thoughts of strangling his roommate flew from his head, letting the silverware slide smoothly into his tongue. _Indirect kiss, _was all he could think of.

Haruka beamed at him, licked the fork clean of its remaining cream, before proceeding to give some to Otoya, then Masato and finally Ren. He had no doubt they would probably forget about what they were trying to save Haruka from with the way she feed them so lovingly and enthusiastically.

And the damned cake tasted like _heaven_. He saw Tomo-chan smirked at them, shaking her head, as if to say, _you guys are a bunch of idiots for not putting faith on your friend's talent._

Syo lowered his head in shame and embarrassment.

They were all sitting around the large space between Tomo-chan and Haruka's bed, the incident soon forgotten. The teapot was replenished over and over again, as the root cause of their panic disappeared before their eyes. Haruka consumed the dessert with as much gusto as playing the piano. Syo studied the group before him, each displaying their own satiated, blissful smiles.

Amazingly, no one was complaining about stomach pains. Yet. A world record. What a waste of time and energy it was chasing his errant roommate halfway across the campus.

"Thanks so much for being thoughtful of my whims." Haruka smiled at Natsuki, as she put down her empty cup of tea.

"You are most welcome, Haru-chan! You only need to tell me if you're craving for _anything else_."

Syo froze, realizing the hidden innuendo insinuated by his roommate, and looked at his friend with narrowed eyes. Not again.

Natsuki was looking at him directly before winking at him mischievously. "I can whip up a batch for you in no time. No problem at all."

**oOoOoOo**

**A/N: A rather long oneshot. My other one shot for the wild roses is about Syo Kurusu, too. Weird. But you guys have to wait for it, since I am not finished yet. **

**Anyone seen episode 5 yet? I died laughing when I saw the rest of Starish in bear costume. Including Masato and Ren. How come they did not even show Ren's embarrassed face?! I felt cheated. Boohoo!**


End file.
